1. Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a library apparatus and an insertion and ejection mechanism.
2. Description of the Related Art
Library apparatuses that accommodate a large number of tape cartridges for storage have been available as apparatuses for storing a large amount of information. In a library apparatus, cartridges from and to which information is to be read and written are sequentially removed and are placed in a writing and reading apparatus to read and write the information. The cartridges are typically accommodated in an accommodation rack provided in the apparatus. Accommodation racks include a fixed rack fixedly provided in the apparatus, and a rack removable from the apparatus, called a magazine. The accommodated cartridges are transported to a writing and reading apparatus or a desired accommodation rack using a cartridge transporting mechanism.
When a cartridge is to be ejected from the library apparatus, a magazine in which the desired cartridge is accommodated is to be removed from the library apparatus. When a cartridge is to be inserted in the library apparatus, a magazine in which the desired cartridge is to be accommodated is also to be removed from the library apparatus.
Generally, in middle-size or small-size library apparatuses, after a magazine is removed from the apparatuses, a space where the magazine was accommodated becomes empty. This increases the potential risk of injury to an operator because the operator may put his/her hand into a library apparatus. The library apparatus has a cartridge transporting mechanism as described above incorporated therein. If the operator puts his/her hand into the apparatus, the hand may be injured by the operation of the cartridge transporting mechanism.
To overcome such a potential hazardous situation, a library apparatus that is provided with a door on the front thereof so that a magazine may not be removed until the door is opened has been proposed. In this library apparatus, the door is manually closed after a magazine has been removed so that the space from which the magazine has been taken may be closed.
As an alternative, a disc changer configured to insert and eject a magazine in a manner similar to that of a library apparatus has been proposed, wherein an opening into and from which a magazine is inserted and removed is provided with a door and the door is automatically or manually closed after the magazine has been removed.
With the mechanism for manually closing the door after a magazine has been removed, if the operator forgets to close the door, since a space where a magazine is usually accommodated is open to the outside, the operator may also accidentally put his/her hand into the space. If the operator has closed the door, a different person may easily open the door.
With the mechanism for automatically closing the door, the door is closed after a magazine has been removed. However, due to this mechanism having a structure in which the door is pushed and opened by a magazine when the magazine is inserted, there is still a risk that the operator may accidentally put his/her hand into the inside because the door may also be pushed and opened by the operator's hand.
It is therefore desirable to provide a locking mechanism that locks a door so that the door may not be opened or an auxiliary mechanism or the like for shutting off the inside of the apparatus from the outside thereof even if a door opening and closing mechanism is broken. In this case, a space for the locking mechanism or auxiliary mechanism is required in the library apparatus. However, particularly in middle-size or small-size library apparatuses, due to the demand for high-density mounting, it is difficult to set aside a space for such a mechanism.